Chapter 64
Chapter 64
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: 21. Kania Merchant Group's Gift (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
7.
“How about a gamble?”
The one who spoke those words was Hassan, an adventurer from the Ariant Kingdom.
An adventurer from a distant land.
The Ariant Kingdom was located in the Nihal Desert, a vast wasteland larger than five or six Victoria Islands combined.
Naturally, most events from such a far-off place never reached Victoria Island.
Yet the moment Hassan spoke, everyone focused intently.
They knew him.
‘Boss Slayer Hassan.’
Boss Slayer.
That title was given to adventurers who had hunted down over a hundred boss monsters.
And Hassan held that title.
It was an incredible feat.
There were certainly boss monsters beyond the Mystic Gate.
But not everyone who crossed the Mystic Gate hunted them.
For one, you could exit through the portal without hunting a boss monster.
However, for Mystic Gates orange-grade or higher, failing to seize the opportunity was more common.
This was because, starting from orange-grade Mystic Gates, it was typical for multiple adventurer parties to tackle them together rather than solo.
Naturally, this led to competition for the most valuable prize—the boss monster—and that made earning a boss-hunting title far from easy.
It was even tougher for yellow-grade gates.
‘Over a hundred boss monsters in yellow-grade gates alone.’
Hassan wasn’t just any boss slayer; he had earned the title solely from yellow-grade Mystic Gates.
That was why his fame had reached all the way to Victoria Island.
‘No one’s more confident in competition than him.’
It was also why he proposed a gamble.
So everyone anticipated his next move.
“How about we gamble on who hunts the boss monster?”
When that prediction came true, the adventurers didn’t hesitate to respond.
“Not a bad idea.”
They showed interest.
Given Hassan’s nickname and the titles he had earned, it wasn’t an incomprehensible reaction.
As mentioned earlier, wasn’t this the party of Hassan, the boss slayer who had taken down over a hundred yellow-grade boss monsters?
Betting against Hassan’s party?
Yet the faces of those expressing interest were filled not with anxiety or nervousness, but with confidence.
And they had every reason to be.
“Adventuring alone is boring, so spicing it up like this isn’t bad.”
“We’re confident in boss hunts too.”
“Yeah? We’re confident as well. I’m dying to see who’s more confident.”
The people gathered here were those with titles and skills rivaling Hassan’s party.
“Unique items on the line for sure?”
They were also the greediest of the bunch.
They had probably been waiting for a situation like this.
Of course, not every adventurer felt that way.
“We’re not interested in that gamble.”
“It’s fine if you want to set up your own table, but keep the sparks from flying our way. The moment they do, you’ll be facing us instead of boss monsters.”
A few parties reacted negatively.
That wasn’t strange either.
Far more adventurers disliked gambling in the unknown dangers beyond a Mystic Gate than those who didn’t.
Especially since not all unique items were equal.
“Don’t get greedy for no reason. Stick to what we have.”
For those with good items already, this whole gamble was a losing proposition.
That was one thing.
“If you lack skill, your mouth runs overtime.”
“What did you say?”
“Then join the table. Huh?”
Lack of confidence was another.
The adventurers here all had their own skills and titles, no doubt.
But when the best gathered in one place, highs and lows inevitably emerged among them.
This time was no different.
‘Damn it, if only Hassan wasn’t here.’
‘Gambling against the wolves of Mount Elnas is too reckless.’
‘Henesis archers are off-limits. They’re the real pros. Boss monster specialists.’
Boss Slayer Hassan, the adventurers from Mount Elnas—known as the wolves—or the Henesis archers were on another level entirely among adventurers.
They had no desire to gamble against them.
That was the reason.
“The El Pam party, right?”
Everyone thought the same.
“What’ll you do?”
That the El Pam party would absolutely refuse the gamble.
Nor was it just their thinking.
Dibo and the others thought so too.
‘What else? Shut their mouths. You’d have to be crazy to agree to this.’
‘Ridiculous proposal.’
‘They’re treating us like toys. Should I just shoot one in the eye and make them a cyclops?’
‘Losing a unique item here cuts into Dibo’s income. It’s a loss.’
There was no reason to join a gamble they couldn’t win.
Moreover, the unique item the El Pam party held wasn’t some mediocre unique.
It was a priceless unique worn by the son of Jack Rich and Gold Rich, making their stake the highest.
No matter how they looked at it, there was no reason to join this gamble.
No, they absolutely shouldn’t.
“Will you join?”
El Pam felt the same.
“No.”
He shook his head as he spoke.
“But if it’s two each, then yes.”
“Huhu, as expected of a coward. Refusing… What?”
El Pam had no intention of joining this gamble.
“I’ll join if we each stake two unique items.”
He only planned to create a bigger one.
8.
“If we each stake two, I’ll join the gamble.”
At El Pam’s words, all the adventurers wore the same expression.
‘What?’
A look of utter bewilderment.
El Pam’s statement was so shocking that no one could have even imagined it.
In the wake of that shock, everyone thought the same.
‘Is he insane?’
They were certain El Pam had lost his mind.
“Boss, have you gone mad?”
Dibo was one of them.
“You’re saying you’ll throw in not one, but two unique items into this insane gamble? No, why?”
El Pam answered that reasonable question.
“Because the bigger the pot, the bigger the gain.”
Everyone, including Dibo, was left speechless by his utterly calm reply.
That was the moment.
Thud thud thud!
A massive tremor headed straight for the three hundred adventurers, and every adventurer turned their heads.
El Pam did the same.
He turned his head and activated his clairvoyance magic.
Through it, he saw something charging across the black forest.
Fwoosh!
Hordes of enormous boars with flames engulfing their entire bodies.
“It’s a Fire Boar pack!”
9.
Fire Boars.
Monsters found in the Perion region, their size and appearance similar to the common Wild Boars of Perion.
Massive boars.
But their notoriety was on another level entirely.
“If you see a Wild Boar, run. If you see a Fire Boar? Pray. You usually can’t even run.”
It had to be that way.
Fwoosh!
Flames like a mane blazed fiercely and hot along the Fire Boars’ backs.
The trouble that caused was indescribable.
“Combat? A nightmare for warriors. The moment you engage, the searing heat climbs up.”
The flames from their mane alone dealt lethal damage.
“And then you have to face a boar tougher and more ferocious than a Wild Boar while exposed to that damn heat.”
Even without that, Fire Boars were monsters in their own right.
They were lion-sized boars.
“Of course, the real headache isn’t fighting the Fire Boars themselves. It’s the aftermath they create. Fire follows wherever they go.”
But what truly despaired adventurers when facing Fire Boars was how the forest ignited in their wake.
“There’s even a saying that Perion became a wasteland because of Fire Boars.”
A blazing forest was more threatening to adventurers than any monster.
Of course, the adventurers who entered this Mystic Gate were the elite of the elite!
They didn’t panic at the sight of the Fire Boars.
Instead, they all reached the same conclusion.
“Split up!”
Against the charging Fire Boar pack, every adventurer party scattered in all directions.
No prior agreement.
No need for one.
It wasn’t just Fire Boars—against charging monsters like Ribbon Pigs, adventurer parties always scattered. It was basic common sense for any adventurer.
Thanks to that.
“They’re not coming our way.”
Some adventurer parties shook off the Fire Boars’ pursuit all too easily.
“Lucky.”
The El Pam party was one of them.
They easily evaded the chase.
But it wasn’t cause for pure celebration.
In wasteland areas like Perion, where there was nothing to burn, hunting Fire Boars wasn’t hard—but in a forest, it was different.
Facing Fire Boars in a forest went beyond troublesome; it was impossible.
So there was only one answer.
“Find the exit to the second floor.”
Escape the first floor quickly.
That was the solution every adventurer party would choose.
Moreover, the adventurers here weren’t aiming to hunt Fire Boars.
“Get to the third floor as fast as possible and hunt the boss monster.”
Boss monster!
That was their sole goal.
On top of that, these adventurers had one more reason to claim the boss monster.
“Boss, I know you’re amazing and all, but this time it really doesn’t make sense. Joining this gamble is crazy.”
That was why Dibo was angry.
“No matter how I think about it, our odds of getting the boss monster are zero. Zero! I’d bet my entire fortune on us failing, but betting on success is idiotic!”
Nor was it just Dibo.
“I agree. Jumping into this reckless bet isn’t smart.”
“It’s not just not smart—it’s straight-up insane.”
“If we lose two unique items, who pays for them, leader? You?”
All three voiced their opposition.
It wasn’t dismissing El Pam’s abilities.
Quite the opposite—the ones who knew El Pam’s abilities best among those present were his companions.
“You’ll reach the third floor faster than anyone. I’ll give you that.”
That was precisely why.
“But escaping faster than anyone is one thing—claiming the boss monster first is another. This is a 300-man gate!”
They deemed it even more impossible.
Hunting a boss monster required immense firepower and time in every way.
And this was a competition.
With the risk of it being snatched away.
“Impossible.”
No one knew that better than El Pam.
“Yes?”
“With our current firepower, we can’t be confident in hunting the boss. Not without at least double the output.”
Dibo asked in surprise at the explanation.
“You knew that and still joined the gamble?”
It was hard to understand.
“Wait.”
On the other hand, the fact that El Pam knew and proceeded meant he had some ace up his sleeve.
At that point, Dibo’s expression changed.
“Boss, you’ve got something, right?”
Dibo brimmed with anticipation.
“As expected, you set something up before coming in? Teaming up with another party maybe?”
One of those expectations was allying with another adventurer party.
Not unusual.
The Adventurers’ Association strongly encouraged cooperation beyond the Mystic Gate.
If El Pam had negotiated with another party beforehand, then raising the stakes made perfect sense.
“I’ve prepared something.”
“As expected!”
Dibo’s eyes sparkled with excitement at the follow-up.
“Boss, what is it?”
“As I said earlier, boss monster hunts require double the firepower for our party to solo successfully.”
“Right.”
“That’s why I raised the stakes.”
“Huh?”
“Double the firepower is all we need.”
“No, Boss? What does that mean?”
El Pam offered no further explanation to the baffled Dibo.
Instead, he showed them.
“Fire Arrow.”
One cast.
Fwoosh!
Fwoosh!
Two fire arrows manifesting simultaneously.
“Huh? W-Wait a second.”
That was El Pam’s source of confidence.
“Boss, why are two fire arrows being summoned?”
“Double Up.”
It was the ability of Fried’s ring: Double Up, which doubled the number of spells cast.